Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was a famous and brilliant Irish writer. But he didn't just write for adults he also wrote fairy stories for children.
He was born on the 16th October 1854 in Dublin, Ireland to William and Jane Wilde.
His father was an excellent eye and ear surgeon. His mother was a writer and used to enjoy giving candlelit tea parties. He adored his mother and was very close to her. He was their second child.They also had an elder son Willie, their youngest child - a daughter called Isola -  died when she was 10.
Wilde went to Trinity College Dublin (one of the leading universities in Dublin) where he won a number of prizes. He then went to Oxford University on a scholarship.
Wilde became a writer who wrote stories, plays and poems. It was his plays that made him famous as he poked fun at people's social lives. They were full of clever, witty remarks that made them enjoyable to watch. He became known for these, when passing through customs he told them "I have nothing to declare except my genius."
He wrote the fairy stories for his 2 sons. One of his best known is The Selfish Giant. It is about a giant who lived in a castle while he was away for a long time children used to come and play in his garden. However on his return he was angry with them and made them leave, as he didn't allow anyone in his garden but himself. As the giant was so selfish it remained bleak winter in his garden, while all the other gardens enjoyed the different seasons throughout the year. Later on though, the giant sees the error of his ways and invites the children to play in his garden whenever they want. 

His fairy stories like all fairy stories taught children an important lesson about life. In the case of the selfish giant it was how you gain the pleasure and happiness of being generous and how being selfish can make you miserable.

Oscar Wilde died on the 30th November 1900. His work is still read, quoted, performed and enjoyed today.

Enid Blyton's books: the most famous short stories in the Greek '80s

Enid Blyton was an English writer of the 20th century also known as Mary Pollock. She became famous  in Greece for her eminent three book series that all children who grew up in the '80s have read. She was a schoolteacher and her work is constituted by more than 800 short stories. In England she became  famous for her books about 'Noddy' and the short stories 'Malory Towers', 'St. Claire' and 'Banery Mystery' but the short stories that made her famous worldwide were:

1. Secret Seven Society which is about a company of seven children who resolve police mysteries. In the 15 books of the english publication the names of the heroes are Peter, Janet, Jack, Barbara, George, Pam and Collin. In the Greek translation however we meet Petros, Jenny, Yannis, Barbara, Giorgos, Pavlina and Nikolos. A special hero is Scamper the dog. The books were written between 1949 and 1963 and were published in Greece by Gutenberg in the the '80s. 

2. The Five Sleuth-hounds (Five Found-Outers and Dog)  are a company of five children (older than the 'Seven') who resolve police mysteries every time they meet during their school vacations. The heroes are Freiderikos Avgerinos (or “Chondroulis”), head of the company and an expert on disguises, Aris and Rita (siblings), Pipis and Betty (also siblings) and Buster, a dog. The real names of the children (in the english version) are: Frederick Algernon Trotteville (or Fatty) instead of Freiderikos Avgerinos, Larry-Daisy - instead of Aris and Rita, and Pip-Bets instead of Pipis and Betty. A special character is the police officer Gounis (Mr Goon).  Blyton wrote the 15 adventure stories of  the Five Found-Outers between 1943 and 1961 and Gutenberg published them in Greece in the '80s.

3. The Five Friends (The Famous Five) are involved accidentally in adventures during their school vacations. This company is constituted by three siblings, Julian, Dick and Anna, their friend Georgina and their  dog Timmy. Most of these adventures  take place in Kerrin Cottage. The writer gave life to 21 adventure stories in 20 years (1942-1962) while the ITV made them a television series.

Enid Blyton died when she was 71 years old afflicted by the Alzheimer disease. Her heritage however is these books which have been read by most kids worldwide.